Collapsible cot.



C. B. LAMB.

v GOLLAPSIBLE GOT.

AEPLIGATION FILED MAY 14, 1908.

Patented Jan. 12, 1.909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.*

C. B. LAMB.

l COLLAPSIBLE COT. APPLIGATION FILED MAY 14, 1908.

Patented Jan. 12, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET Z.

926351566 @ax/M f CHARLES B. LAMB, OF DANVILLE, GEORGIA.

GOLLAPSIBLE COT.

i Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 12, 1909.

Application filed May 14, 1908. Serial No. 432,876.

v Georgia, have invented new and useful Improvements in CollapsibleCote, of Which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to folding cots or camp beds, and the primaryobject of the f same is to provide a device of this class l' perspectiveview of one of the composed of a series of separable parts which may bereadily disengaged and reduced to compact form for storage ortransportation and when desired may be expeditiously associated, andthus produce a cot or bed embodying' superior advantages for use inmilitary and naval service as Well as in general camp life. The improvedcot is mainly composed of metallic members, sheet steel of a desirablethicknessbeing used in thelcoiistruction of the members and wherein theattaching means are of such simplified and practical form thataccidental separa` tion of the members or parts Will not ensue when thecot is set up for use and loss or displacement of the said attachingmeans is not liable to occur. The improved cot is also comparativelylight in its structure and also exceptionally strong and durable.

in the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective vieu* of a cot or camp bedembodying the features of the invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse verticalsection of the same. F ig. 3 is a bottom plan view. Fig. 4 is anenlarged cross sectional view of a part of the cot. F ig. 5 is alongitudinal vertical section of a portion of the cot frame. Figs. 6 and7 illustrate detail perspective views of members of the cot. Fig. 8 is aplan view of the fabric bed bottom or deck of the cot. Fig. 9 showsdetail views in elevation of the bed bottom folded and members of theframe and particularly illustrating the relative lengths of the saidparts. Fig. 10 is a detail braces.

Similar characters of reference are employed to indicate correspondingparts in the several views.

The numeral 1 designates the opposite side f rails, 2 the legs and 3 thefabric bed bottom or deck. These three parts constitute the mainelements of the cot and each has individual structural characteristicswhich Will now be fully explained.

Each side rail 1 is made up of tivo sheet metal tubular members 4 and 5of equal length and an intermediate coupling member 6, all of themembers 4, 5 and 6 preferably having upper curved edges or top portions7 with sl ots 8 extending longitudinally therethrough from end to endand alinin when thesaid members are assembled. The bottoms 9 of themembers 4, 5 and 6 are horizontally flat, and the cross-sectionaldimensions of these members is such as to ren der them practicallyeective for the purpose for which they have been devised. The outer endsof the members 4 and 5 are each provided with a bottom recess 10 andupperside recesses 11 in transverse alinement for purposes which will bepresently eX- plained, and near the inner end of each of the saidmembers an opening 12 is also formed in the center of the bottom 9. Thecoupling ni'ember 6 has its opposite ends 13 out off at a downwardincline or bevel to.. facilitate the application thereof to the members4 and 5 and prevent the formation of objectionable shoulders on eachrail and which might be the case if the ends of the coupling members 6were cut ott squarely or in planes at right angles. The bottom '9 of themembers 6 at each end is formed With an opening 14, the openings 14coinciding with the openings 12 of the members 4 and 5 when the latterare assembled in the coupling members 6. The members 4 and 5 also haveopenings 15 in the bottoms 9 at the outer ends provided with therecesses 10 and 11.

rllhe legs 2 are formed of a single strip of metal, preferably sheetsteel, as shoivn by Fig. 7, and each has at its upper or headextremity/'a right angular offset or supporting bend 16 from which avertical spur 17 centrally projects, and continuing from the offset orsupporting bend 16 is a closing member 18 having such dimensions andcontour as to snugly fituf'ithin the outer recessed end of either of themembers 4 or 5, the closing member being formed With embracing lugs 19projecting inwardly at right angles thereto and adapted to bear againstthe sides of the members 4 and 5 adjacent to the recesses 11, theopposite portions 2O of the closing member 18 at the bases of the lugs19 being laterally projected far enough to fit in the recesses 11. Thedepth of the recesses 10 and 11 is just equal to the thickness of theclosing member 18 and the lugs 19 and eX- tended portions 2O so that asnug fitting of the closing member of each leg and the outer end of eachrail will ensue when the said rods or stays parts are assembled. Theprojecting spurs 17 of the legs engage the openings 15 and when theattachment of the legs has been completed accidental separation of thehead ends thereof from the outer ends of the rails or of the members 4and 5 will be obstructed. The legs 2 are each deflected or bent as at 21to permit them to be folded, and at an intermediate point each leg alsohas an opening 22 formed therein. The pairs of legs at opposite ends ofthe cot are held in associated hinged relation by fulcrum screws 23, onescrew engaging each pair of legs and provided with an inner clamping orwinged nut 24, and by this means the legs are rendered readilyseparable, or if it is desired to close up the cot without detaching theparts the fulcrum screws 23 serve as pivots for the legs. The fulcrumscrews 23 also serve as attaching means for brace rods 25 arranged inpairs and having outer angular apertured ends 26 fitted over the innerextremity of each fulcrum screw and immovably clamped against the innerside of the legs by the clamping nuts 24. The inner ends of the braces25 are angularly bent to forml locking terminals 27 which are insertedthrough the coinciding openings 12 and 14 in the bottoms 9 of themembers 4, 5 and 6 and prevent movement of the said clamping members 6with relation to the members 4 and 5. The opposite pairs of braces 25converge from the clamping members 6 towards the fulcrum or clampingscrews 23, as clearly shown by Fig. 3, and the said braces also act as ameans for strengthening the cot and distributing the pressure strainthereover and particularly operate as stays or reinforcing devices forthe pairs of legs.

' A suitable fabric bottom or deck forms a part of the Y complement ofthe cot and consists of a canvas or other sheet 28 of a length equal tothe maximum length of the rails and of a width corresponding to thatusually adopted in cot structures. This bottom or deck 28 has'pockets 29extending along opposite edges to receive stiffening. 30, the pocketsbeing centrally obstructed or divided by stitches or analogous means, asat 31, and four stiifening rods or stays are used and inserted in thesaid pockets from the outer ends, the latter ends being then sealed orclosed and the rods thus always held in proper relation in connectionwith the sheet of canvas or analogous material. By intermediately orcentrally dividing the pockets and using four stay rods or stifl'eningdevices, the bed bottom or deck may be longitudinally folded and thenrolled to reduce the same to compact form.

In assembling the parts of the cot the inner ends of the members 4 and 5of each rail are inserted in the opposite beveled ends 13 lof a couplingmember' 6, the movement of the members 4 and 5 into the coupling memberbeing continued until the openings 12 aline or coincide with theopenings 14. The braces 25 attached to the pairs of legs serve yto lockthe coupling members against movement as hereinbefore indicated. Afterthe railshave been assembled the bed bottom or deck is then applied toone end of each rail by turning down the side edge portions of theopposite parts of one end of the bottom and inserting the web of fabricor can-y vas into the slots 8 of the rails and either pushing the edgeportions of the bottom or deck and stilfening or stay rods into therails or pulling the bottom or deck from one end over the rails. Thelegs and braces are then applied, the inner locking terminals 27 of thebraces being inserted in the coinciding openings 14 and 12 of the railsand the upper or head extremities of the legs fitted in the outer endsof the rails, as hereinbefore explained, and closing said ends of therails. Care will be taken to tighten up the clamping screws and nuts 23and 24 sufficiently to maintain the braces in proper position andprevent looseness of the legs. `When the cot is opened or the railsspread apart for use the bed bottom oi' deck will be drawn tautand thestay rods will be brought into close contact with the upper innerportions of the rails over the slots 8. When the upper or headextremities of the legs are applied to the opposite ends of the railsthe bed bottom or deck cannot shift longitudinallyy out of properlyapplied position with respectto the rails.

It will be noted that the clamping screws 23 and'clamping nuts 24 arethe only small fastening devices used, and the braces 25 may beindividually applied to the associated'rail and brace members and thenattached to the legs, or said braces may be first connected to the legsand then applied to the rails and the legs afterwards operativelyassembled in connection with the rails as the user may selectv ordesire. The intermediate coupling or brace members prevent the railsfrom interinediately sagging or bending, particularly after the braces25 have been applied and a durable construction is thus provided withoutmaterially increasing the weight.

In detaching the parts the operation is very simple and is just thereverse of that pursued in assembling the saine. The proportions anddimensions of the several parts of the cot have been so determined thatthe longest constituents are the rail members 4 and 5, the bed bottom ordeck when folded being of the same length as these rail members, asshown by Fig. 9, and the legs aswell as the braces are shorter than therail menibers. This provision is advantageous in that a certainuniformity exists conducive to regularity in the dimensions 'of thefolded seegcaov or collapsed parts of the cot, and owing to thematerially reduced dimensions of the separated parts of thecot, thelatter in its dissociated'condition'may be stored or 'transported in aminimized compact form.

Having thus described vt-he invention, what is claimed as'neW, is:

1. A cot having tubular rails each composed of a plurality ot' separablemembers with alining longitudinal slots in their upper portions, and abed bottom or deck having st-iening edge portions removably inserted andheld Within the rails, the Web of the bed bottom or deck projectingthrough the longitudinal slots in the upper portions of the rails.

2. A cot having separable rails each composed ot tubular sections fittedin the opposite extremities of a coupling member, the tubular sectionsand member having the upper portions longitudinally slotted, a bedbottom or deck having side edge portions removably inserted in theseparable rails, and end folding legs separably attached to the railsand. provided With means for locking the rail sections and couplingmembers.

B. A cot having separable rails, each comprising tubular sectionsremovably fitted in the opposite extremities of tubular couplingmembers, the upper portions of the sections and members being formedwith alining longitudinal slots, an intermittently oldable bed or deckhaving stitfened edge portions removably inserted in the rails, andfoldable end supports removably applied to and closing the ends of therails.

4. A cot having rails made up of tubular members and coupling members inWhich the tubular members are fitted, supporting means for the railsprovided with devices for locking the tubular and coupling members. anda bed bottom or deck removably applied to the rails.

A cot having tubular rails made up of separable sections and open at theopposite ends, supporting means for the rails having devices for lockingthe kparts of the latter against movement, and a bed bottom or deckhaving` side edge portions removably inserted and held Within the rails.

6. A cot having tubular rails. supporting` means for the rails. and abed bottom or deck composed of a fabric web having stiffening devices inthe opposite side edges centrally divided to permit the bottom or deckto be intermediately folded, the stitlening devices and side edgeportions of the bottom or deck being removably insertible in the rails.

7. A cot having tubular rails With open ends and upper longitudinalslots and composed of separable sections, foldable supporting meansremovably attached to and closing the opposite ends of the rails andalso provided with means for holding the sections of the rails' againstmovement, and a bed bottom or deckv havingV sidel edge portionsremovably inserted and held Within the rails.

S. A cot having tubular rails open at oppositeends, supporting means forthe rails having upper closing heads and angular ottsets to engage theunder portions of the rails, and a bed bottom or deck having side edgeportions removably inserted and held Within the rails.

9. A cot having tubular rails, supporting means for the rails havingupper terminal heads to tit over and close the opposite ends of therails, the supporting means being foldable, and a bed bottom or deckhaving side edge portions removably' inserted and held Within the rails.

10. A cot having tubular rails, pairs of folding legs having heads andangular offsets at their upper extremities to engage and close theopposite ends of the rails, and a bed bottom or deck having side edgeportions removably inserted and held Within the rails.

11. A cot having tubular rails with seats and openings at their oppositeends, pairs of hinged legs having angular offsets, closing members withlugs, and projections to engage the seats and openings at the oppositeends of the rails, and a bed bottom or deck removably attached to therails.

1Q. A cot having tubular rails each made up of two members and acoupling member in Which the inner ends of the said two menr bers areremovably fitted, the engaging portions of the rails and couplingmembers having coinciding openings therein, legs applied to the oppositeends of the rails, braces extending from the legs and having innerlocking terminals engaging the coinciding openings of the rail andcoupling members, and a bed bottom or deck removably attached to therails.

13. A cot having tubular rails, pairs of hinged legs having their upperextremities removably engaging the opposite extremities of the rails,braces extending` from the legs to intermediate portions of the rails,clamping :tulcrum screws pivotally securing the legs and attaching thebraces to the latter, and a bed bottom or deck intermediately foldableand having side edge portions removably inserted and held Within therails.

14e. A cot having rails made up of separable members, pairs of legspivotally connected and removably applied to opposite extremities of therails, braces extending from the legs and having their inner terminalsengaging the separable members of the legs and serving as locking meansfor the latter, and a bed bottom or deck removably attached to therails.

15. A cot having tubular rails each made up of tubular sections equal inlength and fitted in the opposite extremities of a tubular couplingmember, hin ed supporting legs having upper ends to c ose fiat over theopposite extremities of the rails, and a bed bottom or deck havingstiened side edge por tions removably held Within the rails.

16. A cot having tubular rails each made up of a pair of tubularsectionsequal in length and a tubular coupling member in the oppositeextremities of which the inner opposing extremities of the said sectionsare removably fitted, the tubular member being shorter than thesections, separably associated hinged legs having their upper endsremovably fitted flat against and over the 15 opposite ends of the railsand a foldable bed bottom or deck having side edge portions removablyinserted and held Within the rails.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing Wit- 20 nesses.

CHARLES B. LAMB.

fitnesses H. L. D. HUGHES, W. J. SHEPORD.

